Frequently Asked Questions

General

Answers to a few questions that might be at the front of your mind. Something’s missing that you’re dying to ask? No worries, just get in touch!

What’s in it for me? Why should I use this tool?

This tool is for brands who want to make more out of their TV campaigns and base their media buys on reliable performance data. In short – it can save you money, and boost your growth, because you can analyse which media buys are paying off. DC Analytics was built and is constantly being improved based on years of experience serving high-growth digital brands. Plus, it’s free, so what have you got to lose?

It’s free to use? Seriously? Why?

Yes! We want all brands to better understand how TV performs for them and be able to use TV as a marketing channel in an ROI driven way. We also want to be market leaders in TV attribution and analytics. DCMN, the company behind DC Analytics, does plan and buy media as a managed service on top of the technology. We’re happy if you chose to work with us, but it’s by no means a must!

Why should I trust your analytics?

Because we tested our algorithm, tested it again, improved it, and keep testing it. We’re not out to show you vanity metrics – we aim to provide you with analytics that are as close to reality as we can possibly measure it, and presented in a way that’s helpful to you.

I need to book TV media / create a TV spot. Can you help?

Absolutely! DCMN, the company behind DC Analytics, can support you holistically in using TV as a marketing channel – we have dedicated teams in house that handle everything from strategy to media planning and buying, down to creation and production of the actual TV spot. Just get in touch, we’re here to help!

Setup

Getting started with DC Analytics is a snap – okay, it’s almost as easy as snapping, but it might take more than a few milliseconds. But don’t worry, we’re here to help! If you have any problems, just get in touch.

What’s the general process for setting up a campaign?

First, sign up for an account. At this point you should be able to have a look around the dashboard with some demo data already visible. After that, our support team will get in touch with you to collect some info about your campaign (campaign region, conversion goals, etc.). They’ll send you a tracking code to implement on your site and/or app so DC Analytics can access your traffic data. Then, we’ll need to upload the TV schedules from your campaign into the tool. Once your campaign starts running, you can see your own campaign data in the dashboard. If you need help at any point during setup, don’t hesitate to contact support@dcanalytics.com !

Is it difficult to add your tracking to our website?

Our tracking technology is similar to Google Analytics in how it’s implemented to your website. So if you can implement Google Analytics, our tracking technology will be just as easy! You can add our tracking code directly on your page, or via any Tag Manager (e.g. Google Tag Manager). Setup usually takes about 30 minutes, depending on the complexity of your website and the number of conversions to track.

How much in advance of the TV campaign does the tracking code have to be implemented?

If you need to start attributing your TV campaign fast, we can start analyzing a campaign even if tracking is implemented just an hour before the first spot is aired. But we recommend adding it to your site or app as early as possible so that we’re able to verify proper implementation of the tracking code. We highly recommend comparing the data from our tracking technology with your other analytics tools before the campaign starts, just to ensure it was implemented properly.

How long does it take to see results of a TV campaign?

Once the TV schedule from the TV stations is uploaded to our system, you can see the results of your campaign within minutes (if the tracking code was implemented before).

Does the attribution technology work for campaigns in all countries?

Yes, we can analyze national TV campaigns everywhere as long as we know when and where the spots are aired. For many countries, we also offer regional campaign attribution. Currently regional campaign attribution is working in Australia, India and USA. Please get in touch with us if you want to run a regional campaign in another country.

In general – if you’ve got data for it, we can track it! For apps specifically, we’ll need the data from your mobile analytics tool. If you want to include data from something other than a website, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Measurement & Algorithm

We’ve crunched the numbers – our algorithm is designed to be as accurate as possible and reflect what’s really going on with your users. Read on to find out how we do it!

How do you know which traffic is coming from TV?

We track data from your web or mobile presence to see how it reacts to your TV campaigns. Since there is no direct single-user identifier that connects traditional network TV viewers to web or mobile, we do this through a sophisticated statistical attribution model. To make sure we’re getting the most accurate picture possible of TV-generated viewers, we start by filtering the data and limiting what we track to sources of traffic that have a very high likelihood of being TV-generated. This includes filtering by region where the campaign is aired, and measuring brand traffic only – excluding sources like newsletters, online campaigns, external links, etc.

How do you measure the amount of traffic coming from TV spot airings?

First, we calculate a baseline of average traffic on your site. This baseline moves with the changes in average traffic because it’s calculated for each minute. We then calculate a threshold for normal variances in traffic to rule out fluctuations that aren’t caused by TV. Lastly, we identify peaks following the airing of a TV spot, and measure the uplift – the amount of traffic above the baseline in these peaks.

What happens if spots running on different channels overlap?

Sometimes within a campaign, multiple TV spots will be running on different networks simultaneously. In this case, if the spot period for multiple spots overlap, we allocate the measured amount of immediate visits between the spots according to a “spot score” (based on reach data, GRP, and other factors) for the overlapping parts of the spot periods. Spots with a higher score get more traffic allocated than spots with a lower scoring.

How do you track & attribute conversions?

Each (filtered) visitor that arrives at your site during a TV peak is tagged as a likely TV-generated visit. We measure all conversions from these visitors over time, whether this conversion happens in the user’s first visit or even weeks later, excluding conversions from organic (non-TV) traffic. These conversions are attributed to the individual TV spot that caused that specific spike in visits.

What is the difference between immediate and total conversions?

Because ROI is the decisive metric for successful campaigns, we provide deeper insights into conversions. We track both immediate and total conversions that result from your TV campaign so you can better understand your customers’ behavior. Immediate conversions are sales, signups etc. that occur immediately after a TV spot airing. Total conversions are conversions that occur over a longer period of time. For overlapping spots, we allocate the conversions by to the same ratio as the allocated immediate visits.

I want more information about how this works. Where can I go?

Good news – we have a white paper that explains everything in a bit more detail. And if you still have questions, just get in touch!

Analysis

Everything can be measured and analysed – we’re sure of it. If you think your business or campaign is too unique, too big, too international to be tracked, read on below and think again!

Yes, as long we are able to track the conversion, we can analyze the TV impact on these conversions, whether it’s a sign-up, purchase or download. We can even analyze store visits or phone calls if you have the right data! Don’t hesitate to get in touch for more info.

My campaign is running in multiple countries at once. Can you offer comparable metrics for all markets?

Yes we can! To do this, you’ll need to set up a separate campaign for each country, even if you’re directing user to the same website. The platform will then be able to filter traffic on a country level (we limit the traffic we consider to the region the campaign is running) and it will allow you to compare your campaign’s success on a country-by-country level, across all markets where you’re running the campaign.

Which parameters of the analysis can be customised?

Depending on your business model and typical organic traffic on your website, customizing certain parameters can help your data more accurately reflect real user behavior. Our output can be customized to your needs, including things like:

Brand traffic filter (what types of traffic are considered)

Campaign data (country, time zone)

Conversion attribution window (the time period in which we measure conversions of TV-visitors)

Impact threshold (the part of the algorithm that measures normal variances in your traffic, above which level traffic is considered to be a significant, TV-generated peak).

Is there a way to export the results of the analysis?

Yes, you can export the data as a table (.xls) or as images (.png).

Performance TV Campaigns

Data is great, but not sure what to do with it? Never fear – we have a few tips for you, especially if you’re just starting out with performance TV campaigns. Good luck and happy scaling!

I’m working for a startup. Does it make sense for me to consider TV as a marketing channel?

Possibly! TV is a great way to extend your reach to a broader audience and generate new demand. Branching out into TV makes the most sense when you’re extremely familiar with all of your online channels. When you hit a plateau with online in terms of reach and generating returns, and especially when you need to reach a big audience in a short amount of time, TV can play a big part in bringing your growth to the next level.

How can I prepare beforehand for a successful campaign?

The first and most important step is to get clear on your target group and goals. To better define your target group, it can be helpful to conduct consumer insight research and/or incorporate in-house data to understand your most valuable users and identify what drives them to convert. This will help you make informed decisions about the positioning and messaging of your creative. Don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you need help with your creatives.

Also, the success of your campaign depends in large part on your website or app. Before you launch the campaign, the user flow on your site or app should be clear and all aspects of your logistics chain, payment solutions, and software should be in good working order. You’ll want to make sure your servers can also handle the uptick in users. Load testing is a good idea in the runup to a big campaign. If you feature a (specific) product in your spot, make sure that it’s also featured prominently on the site and you have enough of them in stock! Customers can only convert if they can find the product easily and if it’s available. You might only have one chance to impress a customer, so make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.

How do I pick the right channel mix?

When you select your mix of channels for a TV campaign, you should consider three things: your budget, your goals, and most importantly, your target group. Different channels vary widely in the audience they address with their programming, and how broad a reach they can offer. The more precise the channel’s targeting is, the better the CPM, but this comes with limited reach.

Generally, for a pure performance campaign, you want to aim for a low cost per mille (CPM) combined with high affinity, giving you a low expected CPX. (Affinity is a metric for how closely a channel matches a given target group, available from different organizations like Nielsen in the U.S., the GfK in Germany, or BARB in the UK). The idea is to achieve reasonable frequency of airings on very targeted channels, giving the viewers with the highest potential to respond more chances to see your spot.

Regardless, it’s important to include a few channels with somewhat higher reach into the mix, even when performance is your target. Niche channels have natural limitations on the reach they can offer, so to be able to scale your business with TV media, your media plan should include branching out into bigger channels. Understand that while this may give you a higher CPX overall, you’ll likely see added benefits to your brand awareness and customer lifetime value.

What steps should I take to optimize my TV campaigns?

Performance TV campaigns can be divided into three phases. The first is the test phase, which usually runs for about a month and involves testing channels with the highest affinity towards your target group. Next, you move into the optimisation phase, where you use the data you have collected during testing to determine which channels and times of day work best for you.

With DC Analytics, CPX and other key metrics are available for each individual airing of your spot. We then cluster this data by daypart, channel and spot, so you can see on a more aggregated scale what’s performing and what’s not. Look for dayparts, channels and spots that tend to have higher response and lower CPX, and reallocate your budget to those. Shifting budget to exclusively niche/pay-TV channels can be tempting, but it severely limits your possibilities for scaling over the long term. The only way to grow beyond this is to extend the media mix to higher-reach channels.

The final phase is the scaling phase – once you have a reasonable budget, you will start adding brand channels (that is, channels that build brand awareness). The main goal remains to generate customers, while also increasing net reach. This allows you to scale your business for the long term and be ready for increasing competition within the market.

Do you have any advice for creating a good performance TV spot?

First of all, make sure your creative matches up with the goal of the campaign and the position of your product in the market. Your creative is the decisive factor in whether your target group will respond to seeing your spot. DC Analytics allows you to test and optimize your creative by spot length and different creative versions.

Be aware when you start planning the production of your creative that spot length is a crucial factor you can use to optimize your performance-driven media planning and spend. Shorter spots naturally have a lower media cost, but longer spots may be more effective in driving response. The spot length, or combination of lengths, that are most efficient for your business depends heavily on your target group, product and business model. Consider producing a longer, 20-second spot as well as a 10-second cutdown and testing them in parallel until you find out what works best.

For maximising performance, a strong and obvious call to action (CTA) is key to driving users directly to your website or app. In a purely performance-oriented TV campaign, a straightforward mechanical CTA directs viewers to your website or app. If you are investing in both performance and long-term brand awareness, the CTA should be woven organically into a more storytelling-oriented concept.

How do I best combine TV with my online channels?

A performance TV campaign shouldn’t stand alone, but should work together with your other channels to generate new demand and capture it effectively. Online marketing plays a huge role in capturing the new demand you’ll be creating through your TV efforts and you’ll see an impact on most of your other marketing channels.

Overall, search engine marketing and retargeting are crucial parts of your overall marketing strategy because most customers need multiple touch points before they remember your brand and are activated to make a purchase. Not all new users will be coming to your site directly through your URL – they’ll also be searching for keywords around your product or app. Your AdWords campaigns should be set up in advance and reflect keywords or products in the spot. Be aware of budget restrictions on keywords and monitor them closely. It’s also worthwhile to connect your online marketing materials such as banners with the TV creative so that your target group can remember your brand.

Retargeting ads are crucial to keep TV-generated users from dropping out of the marketing funnel after they’ve visited your site. They should be targeted with dedicated creative and communication specifically designed to reach them. This would be more adapted than your standard retargeting.

I want to know more about running performance TV campaigns, where can I get more info?

Good news – we have a white paper that explains everything in a bit more detail. And if you still have questions, just get in touch!